Shibuya
The Shibuya Shopping District is a shopping district which surrounds Shibuya Station, one of the busiest railway stations, in Tokyo, Japan. The district is known as one of the fashion centers of Japan, as a major nightlife area, and as one of the more famous areas in Tokyo alongside (which is also located within Shibuya ward), and . A popular shopping and entertainment district among young people, there are several famous fashion department stores within the district, including ; a major shopping center near Shibuya Station which became particularly famous as the origin of the subculture. Other famous locations in the district include the and the avenue which leads up to Yoyogi Park and the ; dedicated to the souls of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken. History Following the opening of the Yamanote Line in 1885, Shibuya began to emerge as a railway terminal for southwestern Tokyo and eventually as a major commercial and entertainment center during and following the 1964 Tokyo Olympic games. Shibuya has been the center of youth culture and street fashion since the 1970s when college-age women began gathering in the district to shop for the latest fashion by the 1980s high-school girls began overtaking college-goers in regards to numbers within the district and by the 1990s middle-school girls became the district's primary shopping market. During the late 1990s, Shibuya became known as the center of the IT industry in Japan. It was often called "Bit Valley" in English, a pun on both "Bitter Valley," the literal translation of "Shibuya", as well as Bit, the computer term for binary digits. Location Design The Shibuya Shopping District is based on the real life location. Gallery File:Shibuya2.png File:AnimeShibuya1.png File:AnimeShinbuya.png Trivia *One of the most well-known stories concerning Shibuya is the story of , a white Akita dog who continued returning to Shibuya Station to wait for his deceased master (a Tokyo University Professor who had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage) to return from work every day from 1923 until his death in 1935. During his vigil, the dog became a national celebrity for his loyalty and a statue of Hachikō was built adjacent to the station one year before his death. The surrounding Hachikō Square is now the most popular meeting point in Tokyo and is almost always crowded. *On the southwest side of Shibuya station there is another popular meeting place with a statue called "Moyai". The statue resembles a Moai statue from Easter Island. The statue was given to Shibuya by the people of in 1980. *Yoyogi Park in Shibuya was one of the main venues for the 1964 Summer Olympics. The ward itself served as part of the athletics 50 km walk and marathon course during those games. Before this the park was once a training base for the Imperial Japanese Army, and later the Washington Heights housing area for the Occupation of Japan following World War II. *Shibuya Crossing is often featured in movies and television shows which take place in Tokyo, such as and , as well as on domestic and international news broadcasts. *Shibuya has traditionally been a place where men meet with geisha or their lovers. In modern times this has led to the development of the dating trend in regards to high-school girls and older men. Category:Locations